Joe’s Pub expands the reach of its artist driven programming, with an annual Philadelphia-based residency for musical storytellers. Led by Shanta Thake, Director of Joe’s Pub, and Jay Wahl, Artistic Director of the Kimmel Center, Joe’s Pub Philadelphia is an incubator created to enrich works-in-progress through mentorship. Artist-residents represent the breadth and diversity of the work performed on the Joe’s Pub stage, and are encouraged to produce work that resonates far beyond it.

Ethan Lipton’s The Outer Space represents a wonderful example of the program’s success. The New York Times Critic’s Pick was initially explored at Joe’s Pub Philadelphia in 2015. In 2017 it was performed as part of The Public Theater’s season as a full production on the Joe’s Pub stage.

The 2017 cohort will focus on creating multidisciplinary work. Artists will be challenged to transcend their rehearsal limitations and plumb the depths of long-form narrative, with strategic guidance from Thake, Wahl, Ethan Lipton (Playwright-in-Residence) and Ellie Heyman (Director-in-Residence), in addition to their mentor partners. The residency will culminate in excerpt performances at the Kimmel Center that are free for the public to attend.